Yieldable barrier



y 3, 1952 E. D. s/RWYER 2,602,249

YIELDABLE BARRIER Filed Jan. 5, 1945 Patented July 8, 1952 Emerson D. Sawyer, Chicago, Ill.

rl ucatio January 5, 1949, Serial No. 69,390

' 3 Claims.

This is an improvement in yielding barrier gates providing protection for traffic at movable bridge heads, grade crossings, ferries and the like. This invention concerns an improvement and simplification of the general interlockingof the movable, mechanism with the structural framing which encloses and supportsthismechanism. Thismovable mechanism carries the snubbing devices for the flexible yielding'net work which encloses and. supports this mechanism. This movable mechanism" carries the snubbing devices for the flexible yieldingfnet work which receives the impact of vehicles either moving in an on-coming direction onto the bridge or reversely in an off-going direction off the movable span of the bridge.

The mainobject of this invention is to provide a more stable, simpler and more economical design for sustaining the snubbing devices within the columns with less structural framing whether the net of the yielding barrier is hit from one side or the. other. Another object is toprovide a barrier frame equally strong to resist impact loads in either direction without departing-from the standard accepted.- general design in shape and size as well as to fit into the peculiar locations into which these barriers are fitted, with practically no base plate extensions allowable beyond the column shell.

Other objects will appear hereinafter.

The invention consists in the combinations and arrangements of parts hereinafter described and claimed.

The invention will be best understood by reference to the accompanying drawing forming a part of this specification, and in which:

Figure 1 is a partial elevational view of the yielding barrier with the net shown in solid outline in its lowered or snubbing position and in dotted outline in its raised position. This view is taken looking at the barrier in the on-coming direction.

Fig. 2 is a view of one of the columns, taken on line 2-2 of Fig. 1 but with parts removed, showing the contraction of the extended column base dueto the use of the invention.

Fig. 3 is an enlarged sectional view on line 3-3 of Fig. 1 of a barrier column built with this present improvement so as to eliminate outside braces and stiffener angles, yet providing a stronger 2 column resistance to lateral pull in the off-going direction.

Fig. 4 is an enlarged partial sectional view showing in larger scaledetailtheembodiment of the invention as inFig. 3.

Yielding barriers generally consist, of a pair of columns I, an open bottom portal 2 'with 'a net 3 having cables 3a across the roadway for obstructing trafllc. Net 3 can be raised to. an inoperative position 4 above the trafilc. The up and down movement of .net 3 is generally secured thru balance shaft 5, sprockets 6. and 1' and engaging driving chains 8. The drum boxes 9 are balanced by counter-weights 'H thru cables I0 and sheaves l9. Thus drum boxes 9 and net 3 can be readily movedto up positions i 8 and. 4. The motive power for-this up and down motion is derived from a conventional motor reducer and pair of sprockets not shown."

Referring. to Fig. 3, the. counterweightsljmoves in a closed, sturdy box section .20 -of column I whereas drum box ,9 moves in an open slotted U portion of column 1' shown as 2|. Th'e slot is22. This U-portion'of columnZl is considerably weaker in cross-sectional or transverse strength than box section 20. U-portion 2| cannot safely be subjected to any such heavy lateral shove by box 9 or fair leader 23 as can box section '20. Also this Fig. 3 shows that if net 3 is struck in the regular or on-coming direction the net 3 is deflected to position l2 toward the sturdy box section 20 of column I, whereas if net 3 is struck in the off-going or opposite direction it is deflected to position l3 or toward the weaker or open slotted column portion 2|.

Column box section 20 is further supported by housing 35 making it a very substantial anchorage.

It has been found necessary to locate these barriers in spots where no base plate extension or brace plates 36 are permissible and where the outside anchor bolts must be located within the line of the column shell as at 38. Under these conditions this new invention makes it possible to dispense with the above features and produce a combination of working parts which gives a support for the off-going impact strain on column section 2| The fair leaders 23 attached to boxes 9 as shown in Fig. 4, slide vertically in slots 22 and take all normal side movement of boxes 9 by contact on edges 20a and 2|a of column sections 20 and 2| adjacent slot 22, while the outward normal-to-the-roadway pull on the boxes 9 is taken by the rollers 21, frames 24, lugs 25, springs 26 and the roller bars 28. Now in case an abnormal pull on net 3 carries it to position |2 in the oncoming direction, then the ofisets in boxes 9 bear on guides 28 and spaces 42 and 43 are eliminated by compression of springs 26 and fair leaders 23 bear solidly against guide angles 32 as the diagonal corner 4| of boxes 5 bear on the diagonal surface 32a of angles 32, thus carrying the abnormal lateral load or impact strain into the sturdy column section 20. Should the abnormal pull on net 3 carry it to position l3 in an offgoing direction, then fair leaders23 bear on the slot of column section 2| at space 49, but when I the pressure at space 40 is sufllcient to bow out at 44 and allows fins 33 of the boxes 9 to bear err to be limited to the precise details disclosed, but desire to avail myself of such variations and modifications as fall within the scope of the appended claims.

I claim:

1. In combination with a yieldable barrier comprising a pair of columns arranged in spaced relation; a drum box fitted to move synchronously and longitudinally in each column, and a roadway net stretched between each of said columns provided with cables at each end connected to said drum boxes; each of said columns provided adjacent its bottom with a closed box section joined" at its back to an-gopen; Ugshaped column s'ection'ihavin'g alslot extending substantially the length of roadway face of each of said columns;

extending and protruding fair leaders on each of .7 said, cdrum boxes equipped to slide vertically against the sides of said slot; a vertical fin carried' by; said drum box in relatively neutral position arranged and adapted to engage the said the inside 32b of angles 32 welded to column sec.- f

tion and thus carry the lateral load back onto the sturdycolumn section 20. Fins 33 do not engage, contact or slide on angles 32 unless there is a heavy off-going pull on net 3 which causes an abnormal lateral shove at space 40 capable of bowing outwardly column section 2| and the heavier this pull forward the deeper fins 33 engage behind angles 32. Fins 33 are set so that the boxes 9 can be taken out of rear doors '45 of columns I, between bars. 28. 7

Hence with the use of my invention the drum boxes 9 are enabled only at the time of heaviest impact to bear firmly and directly steel on steel on the sturdy box section 20 of the column notwithstanding that that impact load is in either closed box section" on deflection of the said U-section "due to an unusually heavy pull on said U-section for carrying any heavy transverse strain .intozthe said 100:? section only.

2. The construction spje ified in claim 1. inlwhich the said fins attached tov said'drum boxes are mo'vedinto rigid engagement with guide angles fixedlyksecured tosaidxbox sectionlh I i '3.- The; construction, specifiedgin claim I in which the said UV-sections are provided with. an inwardly, extending, roller bar, in transverse alignment with an outwardlyextending roller barfon c said box section co -eoperatively arranged with the direction and at thejtime of normal operation these boxes 9 bear lightly thrunon-frictional fair leaders 23 on either side of slot 22. Thus the fair leaders. 23 and the braced-up column section2| carry all unusually heavy lateral strain in the off-going direction,

While I have, illustrated and described the preferred forms of construction for 'carryingmy invention into effect, these are capable of variation and modification without departing from the spirit of the invention. I therefore do not wish said rolleiibar oni said U'rsectio'n, there being"suf ficientjspace between saidgroller bars for horizontal rearward-movement'ot the drum box and its protruding .v- '1 ,7

, 5 j .nnpasorrn. SAWXER;

olfrlinf l f; The following references -=areof record in the fileof this patentz l l 

